This Is 2018’s Highest Paid Woman in Music (and No, It’s Not Taylor Swift or Beyonce)

On Monday (November 19) Forbes released its annual list of the highest paid women in music, and the winner may shock you. Katy Perry took home the honor, earning $83 million pretax between June of 2017 and June of 2018. The pop star's earnings mainly came from her 80-date Witness tour, where she grossed over $1 million per night; however, her role as a judge on the American Idol reboot also put around $20 million into her bank account. The 34-year-old also took the top spot in 2015.

Those who are surprised Taylor Swift didn't top the list, here's why: most of her Reputation tour dates weren't within the scoring period. She did come in second place, earning $80 million, and has a strong possibility of landing at No. 1 next year.

Beyonce, who was last year's winner with a staggering $105 million in pretax earnings, came in third place, pulling in $60 million. P!nk and Lady Gaga rounded out the top five, earning $52 and 50 million, respectively.